Summary
The launch ofManor Lordsin Early Access has been a great surprise for many fans of the city-building and strategy genre. A lot of games launch to a rocky start riddled with bugs, butManor Lordshas managed to be in great shape for the most part. What’s even more impressive is that the game is being developed by a single person known as Slavic Magic. Despite such an impressive success early on in the game’s lifespan, not everything aboutManor Lordsis perfect.
A major point ofcriticism aimed atManor Lordsis the game’s lack of updates. Released at the end of April, the game is still in its infancy, but there have been various critiques about the state of the game’s content. Although the game may not be receiving updates at the same rate other Early Access titles might,Manor Lordsis planning more content for the future. A much-requested feature is finally being added to the game, but it also illustrates just how farManor Lordshas before it feels like a finished product.
Manor Lords' Upcoming Update is a Small Step Forward
Adding More Content One Update at a Time
After requests from players, the next planned update willbring fishing toManor Lords. Since the game’s launch, players have been providing Slavic Magic with plenty of feedback as the developer’s pursuit to craft one of the most realistic simulation games continues.Manor Lordsis one of the most successful indie titles of the year so far, and fan feedback is essential in Early Access. However, it can also be disheartening to some players to see that a major update is a mechanic as seemingly simple as fishing.
That’s not the only change coming with the planned update, though. With this next update,Manor Lordswill be moving from Unreal Engine 4 to UE5, so there will at least be graphical changes as well. Despite these exciting upgrades, they are still very much baby steps in the grand scheme of things. However, they are baby steps in the right direction. Previousupdates toManor Lordshave added some substantial improvements, so although things like fishing and ponds may seem small, they will likely have a big impact on the overall game.
Players have managed to craft someincredible civilizations inManor Lords, and these small step-by-step improvements will only expand what can be done. These micro-adjustments are movingManor Lordsin the right direction, but it also raises the question of how long it will take for the game to reach a complete state.
Manor Lords Excels at Its Premise, but Lack of Content Continues to Hold the Game Back
Even for an Early Access launch,Manor Lordsreleased missing some important content. Collision detection on buildings was not finished, and skill trees were incomplete. There are still plenty offeaturesManor Lordslacksthat could really bring its goal of full-on realism to the forefront, but the solo-development could make that take a while to accomplish. Despite the slow updates and calculated steps to completion,Manor Lordshas been viewed favorably by many who have played it, as the game has garnered mostly positive reviews on Steam, so it seems like many are okay with waiting for the finished product.
Although the long wait for features like ponds and fishing may be frustrating for some, what Slavic Magic has been able to pull off alone is truly impressive.The gameplay ofManor Lordsmay not be for everyone, but the historical realism and immersive city-building that the game allows is a promising peek at what else is to come.
